Second Evil
by jerobolod
Summary: Fifteen years after Cloud and co. defeated Sephorith, a new evil is arising and it's up to a new generation of heroes to defeat it. *CHAPTER 5 & 6 NOW UP!*
1. The Voice

Chapter One - The Voice  
  
It is moving  
A second evil is spreading  
You stopped it once  
But not again  
A new group will finish  
What you must start  
  
Costa Del Sol Hotel  
  
Cloud Strife awoke with a start at hearing those words echoing through his head. He hadn't heard a voice like that for almost fifteen years now, ever since he and a group had gotten caught up in a struggle to save the planet from the evil Sephiroth. He lay with his eyes open, trying not to think about what happened fifteen years ago. That was a dark page in his history. The covers moved as his new wife, Tifa Strife slowly came out of her sleepy slumber. After the incident Tifa and Cloud had admitted their love for one another and had a child, named Aeris after a dearly departed friend. They had gotten married only one week ago at a ceremony in their hometown of Nibelheim. Everyone from back then had shown up, even Yuffie, Cloud was surprised at that. Cid had given them a lift in the Highwind after the ceremony to Costa Del Sol for their honeymoon.  
Now here they both were, lying in their bed. Tifa slid across the bed and snuggled up to her husband.  
"What's the matter?" Tifa asked, concerned. Cloud contemplated telling her about the voice. Nobody knew of the voice that talked to him all those years ago. Would it do any good telling her now?  
"Nothing, just a bad dream, that's all." Cloud said, not looking into her eyes. He knew she would tell he was lying if she looked into his eyes.   
"A bad dream, tonight of all nights?" she asked, disbelievingly.  
"Yeah, that's all." He said, no feeling in his voice. She put her hand on the side of his face and turned his face slowly to meet hers. She planted a soft kiss on his lips. When the kiss was broken, Tifa smiled, teasingly.  
"Then lets see what we can do about that."  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Hunting

Hunting  
  
Plainfield's near Kalm  
"Fire3!"shouted Barrett Wallace. He gripped his gun-arm with his left-hand and held them in the air. He looked around and picked a target. He looked around and saw a Matra Monster a few feet away. He pointed at it and a firewall appeared around it, cooking it, in retrospect. Barrett laughed as the Matra Monster died and disappeared. Barrett laughed and looked at his gun, the Missing Score. That mad scientist Hojo had left it for him. It was also the weapon he had used to help Cloud kill Hojo all those years ago. These monsters were too easy for him. After all Barrett had personally gone with Cloud to the center of the planet to kill Sephiroth. Of course they fought Jenova: Absolute down there too, as well as two versions of Sephiroth before Cloud had been summoned to the final battle with Sephiroth. He was so distracted by his memories that he didn't notice the Wolf get close to him, it pounced for him growling. Barrett turned and looked and saw the gnarling Wolf flying towards him.  
"Uncle Barrett!" he heard the cry. Suddenly the wolf was hit in the side by something and was thrown to the side. It landed on the soft grass ten feet away, an arrow sticking in its side. Barrett turned around to see Aeris Strife standing five feet away with a crossbow. He laughed.  
"I thought you had gone back to Kalm!" he shouted.  
"And I thought you said you didn't need my help!" Aeris shouted back.  
"Okay then hotshot!" Barrett shouted backing away slightly "The y'should have no problem with that." He motioned behind her and she turned around and saw two more wolves standing behind her. Hungry to avenge their fallen pack member. One of them jumped for her.  
"S'easy!" she shouted to Barrett, a word she had picked up from him over the years. She put her arms down by her sides and gripped her sword, which was hanging from her belt. "Barrier!" as the spell kicked in a barrier formed around Aeris. With lightening speed she pulled the sword from the holster and struck down the first wolf. It hit the ground heavily. She wasn't quick enough for the second one, it collided with her but bounced off due to the barrier. The force of the impact knocked her over and back to the ground. The wolf cautiously approached her and Barrett raised his gun arm.  
"Sheesh, do I have to do everything 'round here?" he pulled the trigger on it and the wolf flew back a few feet, died and disappeared. He walked over to the daughter of his best friends Cloud and Tifa Strife and offered her a hand up.  
"S'not bad!" he said, helping her too her feet. "Could be improved. Where did you get that material from?" Aeris grinned  
"I found it on the way back to Kalm and I came to tell ya about it." She said. She removed it from her weapon and held it out to Barrett "Do you want it?" Barrett raised his hand.  
"Nah, I already gots that one." He replied. The grass began to sway as the wind picked up, a strong one coming from behind them. "We'd better get back, Uncle Barrett." Aeris said. They started walking and got a few feet before Barrett stopped and turned around. Aeris looked at him. "Come on, Uncle Barrett." Barrett laughed.  
"I don't think we'll need to go anywhere." He said.  
"But the wind..." she turned around and saw what Barrett saw. "What is it?" she saw a very large airship coming in from the south, flying towards them, descending and slowing down.  
"That lil' un, is the Highwind." Barrett said. He started waving them down when he saw Cid and Cloud. This must be serious, he thought. But right now he didn't want to think about it. If Cloud was there, then so to was Tifa. And most probably the rest of his friends. And he was going to enjoy riding on the Highwind again 


	3. Trouble

Trouble  
  
Cloud Strife stood on the deck of the airship Highwind and helped Barrett Wallace up onto it. He grabbed Barrett's broad shoulders and practically hoisted him up and over the deck. Vincent Valentine, another of the group who defeated Sephiroth, was there to help him to his feet. Cloud looked over the side again and saw his daughter, Aeris Strife, ascending the rope ladder. Cloud dropped to the deck, lying flat out on his stomach, and extended his arm over the side to help her up. Aeris grabbed his arm with her left hand and kept pulling herself up the ladder with her right. Once she was safely aboard Vincent walked across the deck to a phone attached to the wall. He picked up the receiver.  
"Cid?" he said. "Everyone's aboard now...wherever you want...no there ain't no-one else to pick up." Vincent hung up the phone before Cid could say anything else. They all held onto the handrails located at the sides of the Highwind as she pulled up and the Highwind started moving.  
"So, whassup?" Barrett asked.   
"Go to the Operations Room, we're all gonna meet in there." Cloud said.  
"Sounds serious."  
"It is." Cloud jumped onto the ladder leading back down to the lower decks. Barrett looked at Vincent. Vincent gave him glance as if to say 'we're in trouble'. He jumped down to the lower decks, leaving Barrett and Aeris standing on the deck. Barrett walked over to Aeris, who was watching the landscape moving past.  
"Aeris, why don't you go and see Charlie." Barrett said. Aeris turned to argue but she saw the seriousness in her uncles face and quietly went to the ladder leading down. Barrett looked down, over the side and saw Midgar underneath. Or the ruins of Midgar, it was now a ruined city being turned into a technological rainforest, trees and long grass covering the once proud city. He took a breath in and thought about what had happened, back then. What could possibly be going on now. Was Sephiroth back? Was Shinra? Has something else happened?  
"Damn." Barrett said softly to himself.  
  
To be continued 


	4. Definite Sign

Definite Sign  
  
Barrett jumped off the ladder and onto the deck. He looked around, it hadn't changed much. Still this section of the Highwind was littered with boxes. Barrett wondered if Cid was actually ferrying cargo or if they were just there to make up the scenery. He looked around more, trying to get his bearings on where he was going. He saw what he was looking for, a door with a large sign above it "BRIDGE". He ascended the stairs and saw everyone standing on the bridge. Cloud, Tifa and Vincent were standing at the front, gripping the handrail and looking over the side at the passing landscape. Red was sitting in the right-hand booth, sleeping. Cid was, as always, at the controls, guiding the Highwind. Barrett looked around at all these people, most of whom he hadn't seen for years, except for the wedding last week.  
"So, 'sup?" Barrett said. "Or do I have to guess. You know how much that makes my head hurt." Tifa turned around and saw Barrett standing in the doorway. She walked up to him and hugged him.  
"Hey Barrett." She stepped back. "Wish we were meeting under better circumstances."  
"Whaddya mean, better circumstances?" Barrett said. "I'm gettin' confused!"  
"Were here." Cid said. Cloud turned around and looked at him.  
"OK." He nodded, mournfully. "Come on, there's something I need to show you." He said to Barrett. Barrett looked at him.   
"The hell you gotta be so damn cryptic all the time?" he said, angrily. Cloud walked past him and headed towards the stairs. He stopped as he got to them and turned around to face everybody.  
"Red and Vincent, come with us." He said. Vincent and Red moved without saying a word they both moved towards Cloud. Cloud turned back to Barrett. "Come on." The four of them walked out of the bridge and climbed back up the ladder.  
"Hey, where we goin'? Where's Yuffie and Sith?" Barrett said, they started climbing the ladder.  
"Let me fill you in on the whole situation." Cloud said. "I've been hearing rumours lately about a black man wandering around. Y'know Costa Del Sol, Corel, Bone Villiage, Junon. Guy was moving around all over the world. Then I heard that there was something happening up north. So I gathered Cid, Vincent and Yuffie together and we went to check in with Cait Sith, who was living in the Northern Village to keep an eye on things. When we got there we found a definite sign that things were bad." They emerged on the deck and Cloud walked across it too the rope ladder. He let the ladder down and climbed over the side.  
"What sign. The hell you talking' 'bout?" Barrett asked. Cloud looked at him.  
"I'll show you."  
  
To be continued. 


	5. Massacre

Massacre  
  
Barrett was the last one off the rope ladder and when he hit the ground, he saw what had them all so shaken up. He looked around the snow-covered village, at the houses, the shops and the people. They were all dead.  
"What the...?" Barrett muttered. Vincent walked across the village to the inn, with Red following. Cloud turned and looked at Barrett.   
"Barrett, this is Sephiroth's style." He said, solemnly.  
"But, you killed his ass." Barrett said, still in slight shock. "All them years ago, right Cloud?"  
"Right." He replied. "But what if someone brought him back?"  
Barrett looked around at all the death, the destruction of parts of houses. He recalled his visit here, all those years ago. They had followed Sephiroth after he had killed Aeris. They followed him to here and had to snowboard down the large snowy mountain that was just beyond this village. And now the people he had met were...dead.  
"Then I'd say we're in serious trouble." Barrett said. The door to the inn opened and Yuffie stepped out. She walked across to Cloud and Barrett, slowly, looking mournful.  
"Me an' Sith stayed here like you asked." She said. "We didn't find anythin'."  
"Thanks anyway." Cloud said. He gave her a half-smile, which she returned. The three of them looked around at the carnage and the needless death. Bodies lay scattered around the small village. Some makeshift weapons also lay around the snowfield.  
"Oh my god..." they all heard a faint whisper from behind them. A voice Cloud recognised instantly. He spun around and saw his daughter standing, looking at the death and destruction that lay before them.  
"Aeris..." Cloud said. Barrett looked at Cloud then at Aeris.  
"Aeris, the hell're you doin' here?" he said. Cloud looked at Barrett and shook his head. Tears formed in Aeris' eyes as Cloud went to comfort her. Barrett looked at the massacre again. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a PHS. He dialled the airship.  
"Yo." Cid said, picking up the PHS on the other end.  
"Cid, can you do me a favour?" he said.  
"Depends what that favour is."  
"Fly to Cosmo Canyon and get my daughter."  
"Yer daughter? Does Cloud know 'bout this?"  
"Hold on." Barrett lowered the PHS from his ear. "Yo! Cloud. I need Cid to go an' run an errand for me."  
Cloud looked up at Barrett. He looked around at all the death around them, and that at Aeris. He understood what was going through Barrett's mind. He nodded. Barrett raised the PHS back up to his ear.  
"Yup, Cloud's fine with it." He said.  
"Ok then. Be back in a jiffy." Barrett and Yuffie looked up as the rope ladder was pulled back up and the Highwind began to move away from the village.   
"We should have another look round, make sure we didn't miss anything the first time." Yuffie said. Of course that was a complete lie, they needed to give Cloud a moment alone with his daughter.   
"Yeah, we'll check out over there." He said, pointing across the fields and around the side of the inn.  
"Looks promising." They both headed off and around the corner, leaving Aeris and Cloud. They rounded the corner and stopped.  
"Whats she getting' so emotional about? It's just a few...dozen bodies." Yuffie said, agitated.  
"Yeah and she's jus' a kid." Barrett said. "Only reason it don't affect us is 'cos we've seen a lot of death."  
Yuffie simply nodded her agreement. They had both seen their share of death fifteen years ago. Barrett's friend Dyne had tried to first kill him, then killed himself. He had massacred everyone at the Golden Saucer. Sephiroth had killed Aeris while she was protecting the planet. Barrett snapped himself out of that. The second time he had remembered the events of that time, must be all this business with massacres and Sephiroth. A scream was heard from around the corner. Barrett recognised it instantly.  
"Aeris!" he said. Yuffie and Barrett rushed around the corner to see what she was screaming about. 


	6. Sentinel

Sentinel  
  
"Get down!" Cloud pushed his daughter past him and dived to the left, narrowly avoiding a trail of red laser shots. Cloud looked up and saw an old Shinra sentinel standing on top of one of the buildings. It looked down at Cloud and fired again. Cloud jumped away quickly, but not quickly enough. A blast of red laser it him in the shoulder. Cloud fell to the ground and screamed in agony.  
"Cloud!" Barrett shouted, rounding the corner and looking at his comrade. Barrett looked up at the sentinel. "A'right you hunk'a junk, come on!"  
Barrett raised his gun-arm and fired on the Sentinel. He looked around and saw Aeris firing her crossbow at it.   
"Yuffie get Aeris." He shouted. Wolves were one thing; this was a big robot with lasers. Yuffie didn't question that, she waited for a second and then made a sprint across the village. The Sentinel ignored her and turned its attention onto Barrett. Barrett looked at it and his eyes widened as missile packs appeared from the robot. One of the missiles fired at Barrett. He dived to his right and watched the missiles fly past. The arced around and began flying back towards him.  
"Shit!" he shouted. He jumped to his feet and began to run towards the Inn. The missiles began to catch up to him.  
"Barrett duck down!" Barrett ducked down instantly and the missiles flew past him. Again they arced back around. Barrett heard gun fire and the missiles exploded in mid-air. Barrett looked and saw Vincent standing just outside the doorway to the Inn, Red was right behind him. Vincent held out a hand to help his friend up. Barrett took his hand and pulled himself up.   
"Thanks." He said.  
"BARRETT!" they all turned and the Sentinel was right on top of Yuffie. Red shot past the both of them and towards the Sentinel. Barrett turned to Vincent.  
"Get Cloud outta here." He said. Vincent turned to look at him. "The Highwind'll be back soon." Vincent nodded and began to make his way to Cloud. Barrett looked back over at the Sentinel. Red was running in between it's legs and Yuffie was standing to one side, cheering him on. Barrett looked across the horizon and saw the Highwind in the distance. Barrett pulled out his PHS and called the Highwind.  
"Yeah." Cid answered.  
"Cid."   
"Hey Barrett, I got your kid."  
"GO FOR THE LEGS RED!!" Yuffie shouted from behind the Sentinel.  
"This would be much easier if you helped." Red replied, diving through its legs.  
"It would, wouldn't it?" she said, not moving.  
"Nevermind." Red replied.  
"Cid? We're gonna need you to pick us up. Jus' throw the ladder over the side."  
"Ok." A laser blast flew past Barrett's head and hit the Inn sign, knocking it off it's hinge and into the snow.  
"Gotta go." Barrett walked over to the mini-battlefield. "Yuffie, on it's back!"  
"Wha'?"  
"Cut the wires on it's...I'll do it myself." Barrett ran across the snow as fast as he could. He jumped for the Sentinel and grabbed it's back. The Sentinel began to move around wildly trying to shake him off.  
"Whoa!" Barrett shouted. Trying to hold on.  
"Yeah! Go Barrett!" Yuffie shouted.  
"Yuffie! Shut up and help Vincent get Cloud onto the Highwind!" Barrett was flung off the robot and landed with a thud in the snow. The Sentinel turned around and pointed it's laser down at him.  
"NO!" Aeris shouted. She jumped out of her hiding position and drew her sword. "Barrier!" she shouted. She raised the sword above her head and pointed it at Barrett. Barrett rolled over and looked up at the sentinel. He stared at the laser, wide-eyed. The Sentinel fired its laser at him and he watched it, waited for the pain to hit him. But it didn't. The laser blast hit the barrier and dispersed. Barrett took his chance. He jumped up quickly and grabbed some of the wires that were on the front of him. He pulled as hard as he could and ripped them out. The sentinel stumbled, temporarily stunned. Barrett summoned the last of his strength.  
"RED! THE ONES AT THE BACK!" he shouted and slumped back down to the ground. Red moved with the sentinel, trying to stay behind it. He took the opportunity when it presented itself. He jumped for the sentinel's back wires. He reached up with the jump and grabbed the wiring with his teeth. He yanked his head back and fell to the ground, pulling the wires out. The sentinel fizzled for a moment, then collapsed. Red wandered over to Aeris and Barrett. They were the only ones left to climb up to the Highwind. Barrett slowly climbed to his feet with the help of Aeris.  
"Hang on Uncle Barrett, you'll be okay." She said. She helped him stumble to the ladder dropped down by the Highwind.   
On top of the Inn, un-noticed by any of them, a cloaked figure watched them go, smiling to himself. 


End file.
